I'm expecting the arrival of my first ever package of bees tomorrow so I made a batch of sugar syrup with 10 pounds of white cane sugar dumped into 5 quarts of boiling water - stirred until dissolved. I turned off the burner immediately before adding the sugar.
The syrup has a very slight amber tint to it, and being paranoid I'm afraid that I caramelized it a tiny bit by dumping all of that dry sugar in all at once - it went strait to the bottom and I'm thinking some of it got hot enough to caramelize before I started stirring 15 seconds later.
Am I just being paranoid or do I need to start all over?
Another thing - here in middle TN the weather is warm 70-80s daytime 60 or so at night, and there're a huge number of flowers (honeysuckle, blackberry esp) in bloom - and the hive is 200 feet from a spring. How much syrup will I probably have to feed before they are bringing in enough on their own. I'm thinking that 2 gallons of syrup might be more than I need to make anyway.
I think your syrup is fine. Feed them as long as they want it. They will stop when they no longer need it. Bees do not like honeysuckle but love blackberrys.
Steve
You did no harm !
Use the SEARCH feature on this board, lot's of post on this subject !
To caramelize it you would need to boil it at a rolling boil for quite awhile.
The amber color is just undissolved sugar !
Use the simple test, sick your finger in and then lick it.
Feed till they stop taking it, 2 gallons is only a start.
They use the sugar water food to build their wax cells, when they get going they can use a quart a day.
Join a local bee-club & visit your local public library they have lots of answers.
Good Luck
Bee-Bop
In order for sugar to caramelize the water must first completely evaporate from the water. The sugar must then be heated to over 500 degrees Fahrenheit. With that being said you should be fine.
Quote from: asprince on May 10, 2009, 01:26:18 PM
I think your syrup is fine. Feed them as long as they want it. They will stop when they no longer need it. Bees do not like honeysuckle but love blackberrys.
Steve
Cool. That is of course what I was hoping to hear.
I didn't know bees don't like honeysuckle. I guess with the deep bell shaped flowers they are probably pollinated by moths, butterflies, and humming birds.
Too bad - there are zillions of them right now.
Quote from: Bee-Bop on May 10, 2009, 01:31:15 PM
Use the SEARCH feature on this board, lot's of post on this subject !
...
Good Luck
Bee-Bop
It's true I should. However I might point out that there is so much content on this forum that you could say that about almost any question that anyone would ask, and if everyone just used the search it would be pretty non interactive before long.
Thanks to your answer to my question though.
Normal well made syrup is light amber in color. Caramelized syrup is darker amber in color.
Quote from: David LaFerney on May 10, 2009, 06:41:01 PM
Quote from: asprince on May 10, 2009, 01:26:18 PM
I think your syrup is fine. Feed them as long as they want it. They will stop when they no longer need it. Bees do not like honeysuckle but love blackberrys.
Steve
Cool. That is of course what I was hoping to hear.
I didn't know bees don't like honeysuckle. I guess with the deep bell shaped flowers they are probably pollinated by moths, butterflies, and humming birds.
Too bad - there are zillions of them right now.
I don't think it's a matter of them not liking Honeysuckle so much as not having long enough tongues to reach the nectar. The Bumblebees sure love it.